Mostly About Organized Crime

12/09/2016

Apparently banging a Mexican narco has its risks, and numerous women entangled with the bad boys in Veracruz state ruled by drug cartel Los Zetas have been killed or disappeared as reported by The Guardian:

Some were single mothers, some full-time sex workers, others were students and wannabe beauty queens. According to documents from the official investigation seen by the Guardian, many of them worked as high-class escorts or hostesses contracted for political events -- as well as more exclusive parties attended by government officials and leaders of the feared Zetas drug cartel.

12/06/2016

Hillary Clinton is throwing a party at Manhattan's ritzy Plaza Hotel to thank all her millionaire donors as reported by the New York Post: "guests expected are big bundlers including Harvey Weinstein, Anna Wintour, Alan Patricof, Tory Burch and Marc Lasry."

12/05/2016

Judy Rapfogel, the longtime chief of staff to former New York State Assembly Sheldon Silver who was convicted last year by federal prosecutors on corruption charges for taking $4 million of illegal payments in exchange for official actions, now works for a property company run by President-elect Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner as reported by the Daily News. In 2014 her hubby William Rapfogel -- a Silver pal -- was convicted in an unrelated case in state court for stealing millions from the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty which he headed for years as then reported by Shayna Jacobs for the Daily News:

He and his cronies inflated insurance payments they claimed Met Council owed and pocketed the difference with the help of an insurance man, he admitted. Some of those funds were used to donate to politicians' campaigns to gain support for the charity, but there is no indication any of the public officials knew the money was tainted.

And Silver's son-in-law Marcello Trebitsch was convicted last year to securities fraud for bilking "four clients out of almost $6 million from 2007 to 2014" in a Ponzi scheme as reported by Erik Larson for Bloomberg.

11/30/2016

Preet Bharara, the federal prosecutor in New York who has taken on crooked politicians, "has agreed to 'stay on' as Manhattan U.S. Attorney after President-elect Donald Trump offered him the gig during a meeting Wednesday afternoon at Trump Tower in Midtown" as reported by the New York Post:

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) was one of the first to toot Preet's horn to Trump -- and even put the president-elect directly in touch with Preet to set up the meeting, a source said. "President-elect Trump called me last week and asked me what I thought about Preet Bharara continuing his role as U.S. Attorney. I told him I thought Preet was great, and I would be all for keeping him on the job and fully support it," Schumer said. "I am glad they met and am glad Preet is staying on. He's been one of the best U.S Attorneys New York has ever seen," the longtime lawmaker added.

Bharara's crusade against public corruption already has resulted in criminal convictions against Dean Skelos, the former majority leader in the New York Senate, and Sheldon Silver, the former speaker of the New York State Assembly.